Active Learning Posts
5 Student Engagement Activities for the First Week of School
The first week of school sets the tone for everything that follows. Will students sit quietly waiting for directions, or will they become active participants in their own learning from day one? Too often, the first week is filled with lengthy syllabus reviews,...
Active Learning vs Passive Learning: Why Engagement Improves Student Outcomes
In many classrooms, learning still looks like this: students sit quietly, listen to lectures, watch videos, complete worksheets, and read silently. These methods fall under passive learning—where students receive information but rarely interact with it in meaningful...
How to Use High-Leverage Practice 18 to Increase Student Engagement
In today’s classrooms, engagement isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the lifeblood of effective teaching. High-Leverage Practice 18 (HLP 18), "Use Strategies to Promote Active Student Engagement," lies at the heart of inclusive, responsive, and transformative instruction. But...
Why “On-Task Behavior” Is the Wrong Goal—and What to Focus on Instead
Traditional “on-task behavior” doesn’t guarantee learning. Discover what actually drives engagement and how to build active learning classrooms.
How to Use Pinch Cards for Instant Student Engagement and Formative Assessment
If you’re looking for a simple, low-cost strategy that gets every student actively involved, pinch cards might be the most powerful tool you’re not using yet. Also known as response cards or hold-ups, pinch cards transform passive classrooms into highly interactive...
Opportunities to Respond That Improve Engagement & Learning
An opportunities to respond (OTR) occurs when a teacher asks a question or gives a prompt that elicits responses from students. Unfortunately, the traditional OTR involves teachers calling on one student at a time to answer a question. When we call on a single...